Specialty hospitals are defined as hospitals with 50 or fewer beds that provide diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative care to inpatients and outpatients.
Under the bill, state officials would be required to seek an exemption from the federal Medicaid Enhancement Tax — which other hospitals pay — for all specialty hospitals. The bill also specifies that 65 percent of a specialty hospital’s patients would have to come from out of state to prevent the hospital from “cherry picking” too many in-state patients, according to the report.
Supporters of the bill say the streamlined construction approval process would attract more hospitals to the state, which would create more jobs. Opponents claim the bill would increase healthcare costs because community hospitals would have a disproportionate amount of underinsured or Medicaid patients, as most specialty hospitals care for only insured patients or those who can pay out-of-pocket.
The bill now goes to the state Senate.
The New Hampshire House also recently passed a separate bill that would disband the CON board altogether.
More Articles on New Hampshire and CONs:
New Hampshire House Votes to Repeal Certificate of Need Law
NH House Committee Supports Bill Exempting Specialty Hospitals From CON Process
Cancer Treatment Centers of America Proposal Sparks Opposition in New Hampshire
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